Gosh I do love this world... Definitely a very interesting take on a CYOA type game, its all text with some pretty nice art backdrops. You can choose one of three protagonists though it doesn't seem to affect TOO much of the plot going forward. There's a lot of good in this game - intriguing characters, great art, solid music (do I detect some tracks calling back to Bloodlines..?) and some interesting subplots. However there's a pretty big vacancy there - what about the main story?! Well, that is kind of garbage, I'm afraid.
Coteries of New York is set up in much the same way as Bloodlines - you are an unsuspecting mortal who is rudely and roughly tossed into the world of vampire politics, your sire pays you no notice and are forced to make your way through this labyrinthine world of murderers and monsters to try and hold onto a piece of your humanity.... or just hold on, period. From the get-go of Coteries it is pretty clear however that your very creation is part of a plot, however very little of the main story makes it clear that this is a central part of the story until the very end where it comes as a bit of a shock, and not really in a good way but we'll get there. The main story essentially boils down to - the red haired lady on the boxart saves your bacon when you're supposed to be executed as a baby-Vamp and you're now sworn to her in fealty. Seems like a good spot for a lot of drama right? Well, not really. The bulk of the game's story is actually you recruiting your eponymous "coterie", a group of allies and friends you do favors for in the hopes that down the line they will come through for you in the end. There are 4 "main" ones of these however there are also at least 3 side story characters who have pretty similar arcs, and they all play out in a sort of "Persona"~esque system of hanging out with them during your free time to go through their own little plots. All of the ones I met in my playthrough were actually VERY cool - my favorite being the Ace Detective nosferatu who has actually taken on the persona from a character he used to write in trashy novels! There's also a Malkavian who expresses her multiple personalities via twitter/insta handles... and constantly has a phone in her hand so she can express all of them at once. Driving with her is quite an experience... In contrast to these bombastic and likeable folks, the main story is pretty anemic (heh). You do a series of jobs for Sophia as she plots against her rivals but at no particular point do you have much say in how things go down, and the game comes to what is initially a pretty tense conclusion only for it to abruptly end with almost no fanfaire or explanation whatsoever. The game needed either a few more minutes to the story to serve as a mini-epilogue for you and your choices OR some kind of thematic narration by either you or Sophie or SOMEONE who can kinda tie up whatever themes or story they were going for here....
While Bloodlines 2 has been delayed and switched developers, I thought it was a good time to dive back into this crazy and wonderful vampire world and I'm fairly happy with what I got, especially in relation to how much I paid for it... Coteries of New York has some great characters and some fine characters, and tells a story that is surprisingly boring in comparison to its cast. It feels half-baked and almost entirely unfinished at the end, some interesting surprises notwithstanding. It might scratch this particular Hunger a bit but certainly does not sate it. Lets see if the sequel can get it right...?
Coteries of New York is set up in much the same way as Bloodlines - you are an unsuspecting mortal who is rudely and roughly tossed into the world of vampire politics, your sire pays you no notice and are forced to make your way through this labyrinthine world of murderers and monsters to try and hold onto a piece of your humanity.... or just hold on, period. From the get-go of Coteries it is pretty clear however that your very creation is part of a plot, however very little of the main story makes it clear that this is a central part of the story until the very end where it comes as a bit of a shock, and not really in a good way but we'll get there. The main story essentially boils down to - the red haired lady on the boxart saves your bacon when you're supposed to be executed as a baby-Vamp and you're now sworn to her in fealty. Seems like a good spot for a lot of drama right? Well, not really. The bulk of the game's story is actually you recruiting your eponymous "coterie", a group of allies and friends you do favors for in the hopes that down the line they will come through for you in the end. There are 4 "main" ones of these however there are also at least 3 side story characters who have pretty similar arcs, and they all play out in a sort of "Persona"~esque system of hanging out with them during your free time to go through their own little plots. All of the ones I met in my playthrough were actually VERY cool - my favorite being the Ace Detective nosferatu who has actually taken on the persona from a character he used to write in trashy novels! There's also a Malkavian who expresses her multiple personalities via twitter/insta handles... and constantly has a phone in her hand so she can express all of them at once. Driving with her is quite an experience... In contrast to these bombastic and likeable folks, the main story is pretty anemic (heh). You do a series of jobs for Sophia as she plots against her rivals but at no particular point do you have much say in how things go down, and the game comes to what is initially a pretty tense conclusion only for it to abruptly end with almost no fanfaire or explanation whatsoever. The game needed either a few more minutes to the story to serve as a mini-epilogue for you and your choices OR some kind of thematic narration by either you or Sophie or SOMEONE who can kinda tie up whatever themes or story they were going for here....
While Bloodlines 2 has been delayed and switched developers, I thought it was a good time to dive back into this crazy and wonderful vampire world and I'm fairly happy with what I got, especially in relation to how much I paid for it... Coteries of New York has some great characters and some fine characters, and tells a story that is surprisingly boring in comparison to its cast. It feels half-baked and almost entirely unfinished at the end, some interesting surprises notwithstanding. It might scratch this particular Hunger a bit but certainly does not sate it. Lets see if the sequel can get it right...?